"Aura, chair!"
Nanoda dropped the bruised and swollen bald burly man from her hand and shook her wrist.
Through her mana perception, Nanoda had long discovered several humans peeking nearby, so she made a move to teach them a lesson.
"?"
Aura looked left and right. There were two humans, one fat and one thin, trembling nearby, and the bald human who had just been beaten to the ground. Where was a chair?
"You are the chair!"
Nanoda issued a command of obedience, and Aura dropped to the ground, forming a human-shaped chair. Nodding with satisfaction, Nanoda sat down gently. It was very soft and comfortable, almost addictive.
"Boo hoo hoo, why do you have to treat me like this?"
Aura's pathetic protest came from underneath.
"It's an interrogation; I just felt there should be a chair. Be a good girl, and I'll make roast chicken for you next time."
"Aura is Lady Nanoda's exclusive seat right now!"
Aura, how could you be so humble?
"Th... that Lord Demon, we were wrong! We beg you to spare our lives! We'll do anything you want!"
The tall, thin man's legs, which resembled bamboo poles, were trembling. Although the two young girls before him looked frail, the twin horns that marked them as the Demon Race made him shudder. His big brother had been beaten down by that broken-horned Demon in a single encounter.
The short, fat man's flesh quivered all over. Looking at the bald man lying on the ground, he was too terrified to speak.
"Sit. If only I am sitting, doesn't that make me look high and mighty?"
Nanoda suddenly remembered the catchphrase of her old boss from her previous life and said it in passing.
"Answer my questions properly. I am considering whether or not to kill you, so don't think about running, okay?"
After speaking, Nanoda formed her fingers into the shape of a gun. A magic circle appeared, and a magic cannon blast was fired, directly piercing through a large tree on the side.
The two men were so frightened that they knelt down in unison.
"Listening to your discussion, were you forced to become bandits? What did you do originally? And what was the reason for wanting to attack us?"
"We... we are actually the lords of the nearby Gaderia Territory—the three Gaderia brothers. I am Abel Gaderia, the second brother. This fat one is the third, Arue Gaderia. The one on the ground is our eldest brother, Baron Aaron Gaderia."
The tall, thin man, Abel, swallowed nervously, paused, and then continued.
"Our territory was seized by a gigantic Red Mirror Dragon. The mages and knights hired by the territory to crusade against it have already been completely wiped out. Forced by necessity, we and the surviving subjects became bandits nearby..."
Although the Demon Race had always been bloodthirsty by nature, the one before him seemed communicable. Since they couldn't resist at all, Abel had no choice but to answer honestly.
"Does the Northern Empire you belong to not care?"
"Heh, actually, our ancestors were bandits who were despised by everyone, just like the Demon Race. However, after the war between the Human Race and the Demon Race began, our father risked his life fighting the Demons to protect the family foundation. As a result, the Empire gave us this remote place as part of its territory and granted the lowest title of Baron."
"So you were granted amnesty. And now you have nowhere to go."
Abel nodded.
"I will give you two choices now. First, make a deal with me. Second, be killed by me."
Nanoda revealed a terrifying smile.
"What... deal?"
Baron Aaron, who was lying on the ground, struggled to crawl up. Seeing his two disappointing younger brothers kneeling on the ground, he straightened his body.
"I can help you solve the trouble with your territory, and I can also guarantee the territory's future safety. However, I want the right of residence and management rights here."
"Hahaha! A Demon? Wants to coexist with the Human Race? Is there any difference between that and sleeping next to a Red Mirror Dragon?"
As if hearing a joke, Aaron laughed presumptuously.
"I am serious. You should know which is better: the life of a bandit or a noble, even the lowest tier of noble. Moreover, if you don't agree, I'll kill you all!"
Nanoda threatened with a darkened face.
"..."
Aaron fell silent. His two younger brothers behind him looked at their big brother with expectant eyes, as if hinting at him: We might as well agree.
"I am a peace-loving Demon. I won't kill the innocent indiscriminately. You can consider me an anomaly among the Demon Race. Besides, the moment you planned to make a move on us, you were prepared to be killed by me, right? Making this deal with me is the best choice."
"Hah, we aren't good people anyway. So what if we become a Demon's running dogs? Nothing is more precious than one's own life... I agree. As long as you can take back my territory, I can give you anything."
Aaron finally sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, hey, why put it so harshly? We are partners."
Nanoda was somewhat dissatisfied, even though saying she would kill them was just intimidation. However, the effect was very good.
"Partners? You really are a strange fellow."
Aaron extended his hand toward Nanoda.
"Happy cooperation."
The two hands clasped together.
————
"Will you win?"
A young girl with green hair tied in twin braids asked Nanoda. She was holding a wooden staff meant for adults, which was extremely disproportionate to her body size. A green gem was embedded at the top of the staff, and there were some scorch marks on the staff itself.
"Who is this child?"
Looking at the little girl who had run out from the crowd, Nanoda asked Aaron.
"She is the child of the only mage in our territory—Yuna. That mage brought this child to seek refuge with us, but not long after we started living, we encountered the dragon disaster. Thanks to his delay, we had the chance to escape. He is already... dead."
Aaron explained softly to Nanoda.
"Hey, those two are Demons, right?"
"Are they really going to challenge that dragon? That's too scary."
"How did the Lord get mixed up with Demons?"
"Boo hoo hoo, I really want to go back to my original home."
Various discussions came from the crowd behind them. Everyone was very uneasy. Originally starving, they were gathered again by the Lord, who said they were to witness the moment this broken-horned Demon slaughtered the dragon.
"Everyone! I swear by my title and in the name of the eldest son of the former leader of the Gaderia Bandit Corps! This time, this good Demon named Nanoda will take back our territory for us! Demons are not all bad people!"
Aaron shouted his oath, suppressing all the murmurs.
Actually, he was also panicked inside, but he decided to gamble on Nanoda this once.
"I am very strong." Patting Yuna's head, Nanoda leaped directly off the cliff.
"Aura, protect them well."
Nanoda's voice came from below.
"Yes, yes..."
Aura somewhat hated acting as a nanny for these rude humans.
At the Gaderia Lord's Manor, a Red Mirror Dragon covered in bright red scales lay lazily curled up on the roof. It was so massive that it directly covered the entire manor; it was as if what lay beneath it was not a house, but a sleeping mat.
Sensing a strange mana aura swaggering into its territory, it raised its head in anger.
___
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